We surveyed 100 of our favorite film critics and cineastes for their top films* and cinematic experiences of the year. The winners for top 25 performances are listed below; look for Best Documentaries and more as the week continues. And look for most memorable moments, best/worst trends in film by month’s end.
1. and 2. Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night), Patricia Arquette (Boyhood) [tie]
3. Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner)
4. Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
5. and 6. Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler), Tilda Swinton (Only Lovers Left Alive) [tie]
7. Scarlett Johansson (Under the Skin)
8. Tom Hardy (Locke)
9. Agata Kulesza (Ida)
10. Joaquin Phoenix (Inherent Vice)
11. and 12. Essie Davis (The Babadook), Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher) [tie]
13. Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)
14. Jack O’Connell (Starred Up)
15. Julianne Moore (Maps to the Stars)
16. David Oyelowo (Selma)
17. Channing Tatum (Foxcatcher)
18. John Lithgow (Love is Strange)
19. Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)
20. Melisa Sozen (Winter Sleep)
*We asked that they choose films in distribution in the U.S. for the year 2014 for consistency’s sake.
Contributors: Aaron Cutler, Adam Cook, Adam Hartzell, Adam Schartoff, Anna Tatarska, Brandon Harris, Brian Darr, Chuck Bowen, Cody Lang, David Ehrenstein, Dennis Harvey, Glenn Heath, Jr., Ehsan Khoshbakht, Ella Taylor, Eugene Hernandez, Jaime Grijalba, Jay Keuhner, Jonathan Keifer, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Jordan Cronk, Kevin B. Lee, Lauren Treihaft, Laya Maheshwari, Max Goldberg, Michael Atkinson, Michael Pattison, Michael Tully, Micheal Sicinski, Miriam Bale, Nick Schager, Pam Grady, Samuel Fragoso, Sean Axmaker, Shade Rupe, Steve Erickson, Steven Jenkins, Tara Judah, Tomas Hachard.
